DAVID'S EMAIL BIBLE STUDY:
Holy Cacophony, Batman!
A. INTRODUCTION
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Does that “subject line” date me? Oh, well, a little mystery, then. The Psalms are Songs of Praise, though they cover a lot of topics. Above all, they are expressions of human outreach to God. They take our innermost thoughts and our outermost faith and make it into a “folk song” of the day. The Israelites memorized them, sung them, made them central to Jewish life. Christianity adopted them completely. Today, fittingly, our Psalm is about music. .
C. SUMMARY.
The Psalm writer (called a “Psalmist”) must have gone to journalism school, as Psalm 150 answers the basic who/where/why/how, etc. of good reporting. We are told WHO to worship, WHERE, WHY, and specifically HOW. Bottom line: joyful, exuberant, heart-felt, intentional. In short, we should go to church/synagogue to express to God how amazed we are at God’s astounding creation and do it with every form of expression imaginable.
D. KEY POINTS
1.
Praise God. The most basic reason for worship, offerings, churches or synagogues is that God is “worthy”. That’s what “worship” actually means. God is worthy, God deserves our best response. We go to the theatre and experience a most special performance. Or at a sporting event, our team excels beyond our best hopes. We don’t sit on our hands. We stand, applaud, shout, throw flowers, point and high-five, a shared exuberance with all in attendance. Euphoria. Gratitude. Inspiration. “Fan” is short for “fanatic”. In worship we are God’s fans. Verse 2 pinpoints the reasons as “God’s surpassing greatness and mighty deeds”, including, but not limited to, the wonders of creation. Each person experiences God’s “surpassing greatness” in their own way: a personal miracle, a stunning experience of nature, a divine intervention, a burst of spiritual insight, a literal close encounter with God’s presence, life itself, unexpected joys. And more. The old hymn says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God hath done.”
2.
“IN the SANCTUARY”. My fraternity brothers all assured me they could worship God in the backyard. True. But they never did. Most humans respond to having a particular place and a regular time, even with some semblance of ritual/routine, for worship. There’s nothing wrong with singing in the shower, reading your Bible by yourself, praying alone. There’s nothing wrong with eating Thanksgiving dinner all alone. But it is all better, richer, deeper with others.
3.
“It’s Gonna Get Loud” is the name of a great rock ‘n roll documentary. Psalm 150 offers the same promise. Trumpets, percussion, strings, dancing, shouting are all encouraged. The “how” may change each century or so, depending on taste and invention. In my mission travels I’ve seen each culture use its own instruments to praise God. Harmonium in India. Pan flute in Peru. Marimba in the Congo. Bongos, synthesizers, rattles. And in our church – cello, violin, oboe, tympani, saxophone. The most important “how” is sincerity. Mean it. Worship isn’t for show. It is for praise.
4.
Silence... Quiet... Dignity. Different strokes for different folks. A silent Quaker meeting, a reserved New England Congregation, a High-Church Episcopal service, a formal Catholic litany are as spiritually legitimate as the loudest, most raucous, over-the-top evangelical or Pentecostal mega-church. Psalm 150 is not suggesting a cookie-cutter worship style, one size fits all. It is suggesting that all worship should be all in. “Let all that hath breath Praise the Lord”.
